ps from ps… So much healing going on right now! Today, every other news story is about healing from Covid and getting the vaccine out to everyone, especially those most at risk. Physically healing (and proactive healing through the vaccine) is on everyone’s mind right now. And in the gospel stories, it was on Jesus’ mind too!
Physical healing, yes. He made the blind see. Stood up the bent over. Fed the hungry.
But in the gospel story coming up this weekend, he drives a demon out of a person at church and brings healing to them. I would suggest MORE than physical, but actually emotional, mental health and holistic healing.
So what/who is this demon really? In the reading, about the only thing we know about the demon is that it speaks to Jesus. “What do you want with us Jesus? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God.” it says. What does Jesus say? “Be still, and come out of him.”
Boom! Mic drop! Healed! There was no mention of anything physical, but Jesus could still bring a bigger healing. Living life without these demons weighing this person down.
I think healing is waaaay bigger than just vaccines. And I think demons are waaaay more extensive than the weird looking ones we’ve seen in the movies. And I think Jesus would agree.
One of the most challenging things to do on our faith journey is to do the inner work of looking at our own demons. It’s not the most pleasant and fun thing to do, so most times we avoid it. But our demons speak. They speak out in the ways we know about and ways we don’t even realize. They speak out in our racism, our anger, our abuse (of ourselves and others), our prejudice, our actions and lack of them. They speak out in our lack of compassion and sharing of blessings. They speak out in our “thoughts, words and deeds,” like we say in our Confession in church sometimes.
What are your demons? How do you hear them speaking? How do others?
Whatever they are and wherever they present, I love that Jesus speaks to them today and has power over them. It’s right there and THEY know it! And they’re afraid of his power. So sometimes, they try to block that power out. Sometimes that turn us away that healing and hope and forgiveness and grace and love and compassion that are RIGHT THERE for us. Oh course they would, right?! We would our demons let us walk toward something that could conquer them? Because Jesus is ready to say it again for us. It’s what I am honored to announce at the conclusion of our Confession time….your sins are washed away…you are made clean…be still…it has come out of you!
If you’re struggling on this journey of looking at the demons in your own life, please reach out to me or another spiritual or mental health professional. There is help doing this and it’s hard to do alone. But as you do it and take that risk, healing will come. The Voice of Stillness ordering it out will become a little louder and the burden of carrying it will get a little lighter.
Healing. Physical, emotional and spiritual healing is what God wants for you.
ps from ps… “As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew castings their nets into the sea…” – Mark’s gospel.
When I’m down at our mission in Haiti on the island of Ile a Vache, I LOVE watching the fisherman fish. It’s old school – still using nets like the one in the picture, like the ones that Simon and Andrew were casting. It’s about as Bibley an illustration I ever see.
As I’ve gotten to know them, and the culture of fishermen, it’s been wonderful to learn about how and why they are fishing – simply to eat, feed their family, extended family and sometimes their neighbors. And only when the fishing is good (calm seas) will they grab a few extra to trade at the market for other needed goods.
You don’t see fishermen overstocking, storing up or getting more fish than they need. And you don’t see them fishing just for themselves. They are always on the water for the greater good of their family and neighbors.
Jesus called out to the brothers who were fishing: “Fellas, leave your nets, follow me and I will make you fish for people.”
Fishing for people. Not showing them how to get more fish or develop faster fishing techniques. He invites them to use their skills to bless other people.
As I listened to Pastor Julius’ sermon for this coming weekend, he uses the phrase: “leaving your self-centered nets behind.” Self-centered nets. Or if you say it really fast – self-centeredness. I would suggest the two phrases are very similar. Is Jesus inviting us all to follow him and leave our self-centered nets…or our self-centeredness behind?
If we’re only fishing for ourselves, what good are we to the world? If our nets are only self-centered, or our ness is only self-centered, how could we possibly follow this call to follow One who is always about the other.
Come. Follow me. Fish for people. Leaving our self-centered nets behind.
What does that call mean for me today? For you?
As I watch our Country bring in new leadership, what does it mean for our new Administration, our policies, our stimulus, our borders, our partnerships, our use of land and our National “fishing?”
What does it mean for our daily work? Our decisions as individual families? Our mission as a church?
What does it mean for my conversations with those I love and those that drive me up a wall? My spending? My time? My prayer?
Come. Follow me. Fish for people. Leaving our self-centered nets behind.
Somewhere in Haiti right now, there is probably someone in his boat fishing and trying to provide for his family and neighbors. Somewhere in WNY and wherever you are reading this, there is someone doing your version of fishing now too.
Listen to that Voice calling out from the shore inviting you in all/whatever you are doing today to leave your self-centered nets behind, as best we can, and “fish” for the world around you.
Lord, in all we do as individuals and a country, please help us leave our self-centered nets behind. Amen
ps from ps… If someone says – “The Lord be with you!” – what might your response be to this? “And also with you?” – maybe if you’re a churchy person.
What about someone sneezing? “God bless you” usually follows without anyone even thinking about it.
Or if you’re from Buffalo right now and someone cheers: “Hay-a-a-a,” you cheer right back and echo “Hay-a-a-a.” (That’s the Bills shout song typed out if you couldn’t see that.)
Call and response. Pastor Jeremiah in his sermon for Sunday will have an excellent message highlighting the “three” Wisemen (we’re not entirely sure it was exactly three of them but there were three gifts and we assume someone wasn’t forced to carry two gifts and one guy didn’t get away with traveling not carrying anything…so three it is) and the gifts that they brought to the newborn Christ child. They followed a star and had faith that an even greater Light was out there. They were compelled to go and share these gifts. Despite the fears of a tyrant ruler in King Herod and an incredibly difficult journey, they still responded faithfully to bring their gifts.
See star – go and follow. Call and response.
When I pressed “send” on last week’s PS from PS, all was calm (ish) in the world. Then a few hours later, the Capital was stormed, lives were lost and symbols of freedom and democracy appeared in greater jeopardy than we have seen in recent times.
A week later, how do we respond to this “call?” What is the proper way to follow up: “Evil rears it’s ugly head” so we should say/do ” __________________________!”
How do we fill in that blank as followers of Christ?
I believe we should take the example of the Wisemen. Respond in faith. Respond with gifts. Head directly toward the Light even when it’s a difficult journey.
Our faith in Christ compels us to reject “sin, the devil and all his empty promises.” My stomach turned when on the videos during the uprising I saw flags that equated Jesus’ name with any of these actions or people. So when others twist Jesus’ truth, we need to even more boldly respond in faith.
The gifts that each of us have been given to share need to be shared now more than ever. They might not be gold, frank and myrrh (or maybe they are), but instead compassion, love and grace. Listening ears for those we differ from. Voices of justice. Pens that write letters or emails to leaders who are leading with those same characteristics of God’s hope to encourage them.
And it might not be an easy journey. Leaders might attack you verbally. Parties/Faimly might disagree with you. Voting patterns might have to change. “What I’ve always done” might no longer be “what I need to do.”
The “call” comes again and again. Last Wednesday, it was blatant, easy to see and wrong. As people of faith, what does our “Haw-a-a-a” now look like?
How shall we respond?
Lord, when the calls of evil emerge, help us to live into our faith, bring our gifts and travel the difficult road with you. Amen
ps from ps… We’re on our ninth straight day of mostly cloudy and no sunshine in WNY. Boo! (Good news though – 37% of Biegner Winter is over!) But that lack of sunshine wears on you, right?
So how do we power through it? What can we hold on to that will get us through the tougher winter times? Some people try sunlamps – but that fades away after awhile. Some people try fake tans – but that washes off and generally isn’t very good for you. Some people try diets – but as with New Year’s Resolutions, they usually fall apart.
If only we had something that went deeper than all those things?! Somewhere there is a child raising their hand in the Children’s Sermon and yelling out: “Jesus!!” Ah, yes. Sort of. More accurately in this case, his side kick the Holy Spirit. (It’s like Batman and Robin, but super different)
“In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” – Mark 1
Except that isn’t translated correctly. I read this week again that “descending like a dove ON him” should actually be more accurately translated “descending like a dove INTO him.”
Into – part of forever, not wash-off-able, DNA changing, life altering and God claiming.
In our baptism, God’s Spirit pours INTO us and not just ON us. On us falls away. On us doesn’t last. On us washes off. On us gets beaten down by cloudy winter days.
But into us changes everything! Into us means that God’s always with us. Into us creates a new being. Into us invites us to rise above. Into us reminds us there is something more and something bigger and something after. Into us.
As we head into the New Year that will be filled and populated with cloudy days and cloudy moments, may you remember that water that poured out over you! That Spirit that poured into you. That claimed you. That changed you. That never washes off or fades away.
ps from ps… So you’re an unmarried, young virgin and an angel tells you that you are about to have a baby…and it’s sort of God’s…and the name is already picked out…and he’s going to save the world.
How’s your day going now? Hope you’ve had your coffee!
Can you imagine that news? Can you imagine getting that lifestyle changing, world disrupting, overwhelming responsibility news? How do you react?
Here’s how Mary reacts: she sings! After telling the angel: “Here I am, Lord; your lowly servant. Let it be according to your word,” she moves into song, singing that her soul magnifies the Lord and her spirit rejoices in God, her Savior.
Does that reaction match yours? It certainly would have been a bit different than mine.
But I think it’s mainly because Mary sees just outside the frame.
See when we get so focused on only what is inside the frame (a picture, a computer screen, phone camera shot, etc), we only see a part of what’s going on. But there’s so much more happening just outside the frame.
Mary saw that bigger picture. She saw what God had done and was going to make happen. If she only saw what was inside the frame, I bet her reaction might have been a tad different. If she didn’t have the deep faith to know that the redemptive action of God for the world was unfolding through her life, she might have sung: My soul is actually perplexed, annoyed and angry that my life is getting turned upside down. But she didn’t sing that. Because she was able to see just outside the frame.
In 2020, as we roll through maybe the most difficult year that I’ve experienced in my 49 straight, are we spending enough time looking outside the frame like Mary? As our culture adapts to a “Zoom-lifestyle” to maintain communication and function, has that moved our vision even more centered on the center of what we see on our personal screen? As the divisions in our culture further divide politically, racially, economically, are we only looking at our preferred frame-work and seeing less of the other pictures of God’s handiwork and grace and diversity and faith journeys and differences hanging on the wall that lie just outside the frame?
So today, maybe you’re reading this and you’re not an unmarried, young virgin. Still the same, there’s a chance that you’re getting or going to get some news/circumstances/life that you didn’t expect. There’s a chance that 2020 rolled through your story like a runaway truck and tore up some plans, dreams, directions and hopes that were nicely situated on your screen.
Either way, I invite you to channel Mary and sing. Because just outside the frame is a God still at work. A God still coming. A God still seeking you out. A God still with plans for a future for you that is filled with hope. That God still lies just outside the frame.
Lord, help me to look like Mary does and see you just outside the frame. Amen
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